Is the Voice industry on the verge of collapse for its human creators or is just evolving into something new? Are jobs being lost or created? Are agencies declining or blossoming? Mathilde poses the question for Marcus and Annette to mull over. 🔗 in bio to listen

Elinor Hamilton and her husband, Phil Sayer, lived and worked together as a VO team. Phil sadly died in 2016, but when a longstanding client approached Elinor about cloning Phil's voice, she had some difficult choices to make… Click link in bio to listen

Our very own Dr Mathilde Pavis has written a policy report (with Dominic Lees) titled AI Human Avatars: Opportunities and Risks for UK Businesses and Services - launched in Westminster. In this episode, we discuss the report and reflect on being in the room where it happened.

Tilly Norwood has been back in the spotlight. @sagaftra negotiations have been rumbling on. SAG has secured protection on replicas but nothing concrete on synthetic performers, making them the next crunch point - could this be the moment for a TillyTax ? 🔗 in bio to 🎧

This time we look at ElevenLabs and their 11 bn $ valuation. Eleven Labs has been keen to define itself as working ethically with the voices at the foundation of their entire model. But how much control do artists really have, once they have given consent ? 🔗 in bio to 🎧

Our guest is Julie Trelstad, Head of US Publishing at @AmletAI, a marketplace where publishers can control how their work is used for AI data training. What does licensing books for AI training look like in practice? & could we now be entering a post-scraping digital world?

Imagine your digital self being stripped down & sold for parts. No longer science fiction - now an everyday fact for performers. What's the appeal for brands and advertisers? What are the implications for artists' pay? What about recognition of your work? 🔗 in bio 2 👂

Did people with ears hear it before it went out? We consider Amazon's release of some much-loved animé titles, badly dubbed with AI voices. Is it possible to make AI dubbing work for performers? Mathilde shares her own experience on this subject. Click 🔗 in bio to 🎧

We’re back for Season 3. At the time of recording, @EquityUK was awaiting the results of an indicative ballot. Would performers be prepared to refuse to be scanned on set? The outcome on 18/12/25 was a landslide. So, what might that mean going forward? Click 🔗 in bio to listen

Proud of our Audio Chair, Leonor Lemee. ✊🏻

Our colleague, activist & AI rights expert, Dr @Mathilde_Pavis has created a vital AI Deal Checklist on what artists and agents should look for when engaging. Even better, she has authorised us to share it for free. 🥹🙏🏻 Find it via our linktree here: tr.ee/j8XL0IketP

Audio artists: use our new recommended min. rates & best practice for recording audiobooks. The guidance has been put together by Equity’s audio committee while we continue to fight for a collective agreement in the industry, so that all audio artists are guaranteed decent pay. equity.org.uk/advice-and-sup…

FFS.

New details today reveal the extent of US tech companies’ influence on UK AI policy 🤯: - Google’s head of AI (Demis Hassabis) was invited to “sense check” @UKLabour’s new AI policy as soon as Labour came to power - Google met with the government 46 times in the run-up to the AI & copyright consultation - Hassabis is now a formal advisor on the government’s AI plan - Tech minister Peter Kyle said he would “advocate” for Amazon at the UK’s competition regulator; their case against Amazon was then dropped. Suspect this is one reason government has repeatedly refused to make AI companies disclose their training data, despite many of them breaking the law. open.substack.com/pub/democr…

*looks to camera*

Lots to say about @ScotRail’s decision to sack their original announcer voice and to use GayannePotter’s AI voice (Iona) without her express consent or knowledge. @ScotProcurement is supposed to fall under the Fair Work First framework. Gig economy workers included. Diligence ?

✊🏼✊🏼 #StopAIStealingTheShow

In huge news, the UK government was just defeated in the House of Lords for a second time over AI & copyright. The government had removed amendments to the Data Bill that would require AI companies to disclose their training data. The Lords have now reinserted them. Most @UKLabour peers supported the government and AI companies. Everyone else - i.e. the vast majority of the Lords - supported creators & the creative industries.

Congratulations @paulwfleming - a political mind who takes an interest in the past. The past informs the present. Going forward, @EquityUK must turn away from performative activism/utopianism and be results driven. The devil is in the detail, the membership know the answers.

Season 2 ends with reflections on the long-running soap opera that is AI regs. We chooses what we consider to be a Win, one Fail and a Prediction. In best soap opera tradition we have heroes and villains, an evil twin, a dream sequence, and a cat called Cyrano. 🔗 in bio 🎧